You can now buy movie tickets from Fandango on Instagram, sort of

Fandango today announced that it now has "a new ticketing integration on Instagram." And indeed it does. Sort of.

If you go to the Fandango profile page on Instagram — within the Instagram app, that is — you'll find a "Buy Now" button. Hit it, and it opens the Fandango site in a webview. And then you can buy tickets.

FANDANGO LAUNCHES NEW TICKETING EXPERIENCE ON INSTAGRAM, GIVING INSTAGRAMMERS THE ABILITY TO DISCOVER MOVIES AND BUY TICKETS AT MORE THAN 30,000 SCREENS NATIONWIDE

Offering Access to the Most Comprehensive Network of U.S. Theaters Available Online, Fandango Teams with Instagram to Convert Movie Fan Passion Seamlessly into Ticketing Opportunities

LOS ANGELES (May 8, 2018) – Fandango, the industry leader in pioneering new movie ticketing experiences for top mobile, social, AI bot and voice-activated platforms, has launched a new ticketing integration on Instagram, the world's most popular photo and video-sharing social network.

A new "Buy Tickets" button is now available on Fandango's Instagram profile, providing movie fans seamless access to showtimes and ticketing at more than 30,000 screens nationwide. This is in addition to the "Shop" button, connecting to movie merchandise and ticketing offers, including movie poster and collectible gifts-with-purchase available to Fandango ticket buyers through shopping on Instagram. Fandango ticketing will also roll out on movie-specific Instagram destinations in the coming weeks.

"As millions of movie fans have gravitated to social media platforms to discover, share and engage with their favorite movie content, Fandango has been essential to that experience, offering ticketing capabilities and access to the most comprehensive network of U.S. theaters," said Fandango President Paul Yanover. "We're very excited to integrate ticketing into our Fandango Instagram, and look forward to working with our studio partners to help transform consumer passion into advance ticket purchases."

Fandango launches its new Instagram ticketing integration on the heels of its blockbuster share of Marvel's "Avengers: Infinity Wars" opening weekend, where the company sold 33% of the film's U.S. box office dollars, followed by a very robust second weekend of ticket sales. On Friday, May 4, Fandango started selling tickets for "Solo: A Star Wars Story" and in its first 24 hours of sales, more than doubled the first day presales for Marvel's "Black Panther" at the same point in the sales cycle.

To incentivize more moviegoing this summer, Fandango launched in April its first-ever rewards program, offering ticket buyers benefits across Fandango's family of businesses. This summer, ticket buyers on Fandango can earn VIP+ Points redeemable for discounts and free stuff from movie tickets to streaming digital movies and TV shows to fan merchandise. Full details on the Fandango VIP+ rewards program can be found here at www.fandango.com/VIP-Plus.

Fandango continues to innovate new movie discovery and ticketing experiences for leading mobile, social, AI bot and voice-activated platforms with the world's top tech companies. Now moviegoers can use Fandango to discover movies, access showtimes and buy tickets with their friends, while using their favorite messaging apps, social networks and voice assistants.

The company has also incorporated leading digital payment platforms into its ticketing service, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Visa Checkout and Masterpass, enabling ticket purchases via debit and credit cards with just one touch. Fandango also offers PayPal split pay, making it easier to split the bill for tickets with multiple friends.